Too Hot For A War
by yoursafetyisassured
Summary: A heat wave hits Korea and the heat takes its toll of a certain doctor of the 4077th. No Slash.
1. Going Down

Disclaimer: I do not own M*A*S*H or any of the characters. of course.  
First MASH story too so, forgive the spelling mistakes.

* * *

It was hot.

Too hot.

No, hot was an understatement. It was hotter than hot. What's hotter than hot?

Blistering, scorching, blinding, scalding, incapacitating...

Hawkeye could see the heat rising from the ground if he looked at just the right angle.

Tired of lying in his cot and roasting to death, he headed off to the mess tent hoping conversation could take his mind off of the heat that suffocated the land.

An angry horn blared and Hawkeye blinked, snapping to attention long enough to jump out of the way of the oncoming ambulance. The driver yelled a few words that sounded a little like curses; not that Hawkeye was thinking about that. All he could focus on was the single word that seemed to float around his brain; Hot.

The speeding ambulance didn't even off a cooling breeze; just sweltering heat and exhaust fumes that left him more than a little nauseous.  
To distract himself from the thought replaying in his head and to help him focus, Hawkeye lifted his head and looked blearily into the sun. The heat wave that crashed against Korea was too much for him to bare. The moment the sun touched the cloudless sky, the land burned.

The air was heavy with the stench of sweat and the sounds of disgruntled people. Not even a whisper, not even a hint of cooling rain or an upcoming breeze.

Standing still was just as bad as moving. At least if he walked fast enough against the hot air he could dry the sweat that trickled down his brow, matting his black hair to his forehead.

The mess tent was choked full of people; all apparently having the same idea as him. Igor was handing out army surplus water bottles that came from the supply truck that was due to arrive in world war 2. Hawkeye didn't care how many wars the water bottles went through, he was going to get one.  
He headed towards the end of the line of sweaty enlisted personnel. Where was BJ? He thought vaguely. The thought abandoned when a guy tripped into him and Hawkeye tumbled to the dirt floor.

Hawkeye usually has better balance but he was feeling particularly weak after a night of no sleep and constant sweating. The man, some private, spat out some apologies before quickly running out of the mess tent and into the unforgiving sunlight.

Hawkeye dusted himself off and righted himself, moving the few steps forward that the line did. Once he got his water bottle and took a drink he was immediately disappointed. The water was as hot as the outside air, if not warmer. It did the opposite of provide relief and he quickly discarded the bottle on an empty table and left the mess tent.

The distant sound of a helicopter sounded throughout the compound. Hawkeye sucked in a breath as he forced himself to up his pace as he headed to the landing pad.

A wave of nausea overcame him and as the chopper got closer the sound got louder. The sound seemed to rip apart every coherent thought he had. His head felt like it was splitting.

But he straightened his back and continued going forward, though he felt himself slowing slightly. He knew why. His legs felt like they were on fire and he was having difficulties relaying the information to speed up.

He saw the pink helicopter pad not far away and a tired smile cracked over his face. Based on the triage team that was already out there this was the only wounded coming in, and there was only one on the helicopter!

Only one wounded, they didn't particularly need him then. Right? He breathed out a sigh of relief as Colonel Potter jogged up next to him; drawn to the sound of the chopper blades as well.

"We'll let Charles take that one. He was hogging all the water in the showers." Potter deadpanned.  
Hawkeye couldn't help but agree and gave a shaky nod in return.

The colonel gave Pierce a quick once over, "You look like steamed beet. You might want to take the next shower."  
"I couldn't cut in the shower line. People have probably been waiting in the sun since this heat wave started." His voice was coarse and Potter turned and looked at him in concern.

"You alright Pierce? You coming down with anything?" He looked Hawkeye over once more resting a hand on the younger man's forehead.  
Hawkeye shooed the hand away, "I'm fine."

Potter looked unconvinced and Hawkeye opened his mouth to make a smart remark, but his throat was so dry. No sound came out. He closed his mouth again and tried to work up some spit to swallow in order to moisten his throat, but even his mouth was dry. He swallowed nothing and tried to talk anyway.

Everyone is hot, I'm fine, he tried to say but only managed to make out the first word before his throat closed up. His sentence was cut off by a harsh cough that scraped down his already sore throat.

It hurt.

Hawkeye gripped his throat, feeling the vibrations from the sound of his coughing that assaulted his own ears.

The fit passed and Hawkeye realized he had closed his eyes. He opened them slowly to find himself leaning on the colonel, breathing heavily.

"You don't look so good son," the older man said. He carefully let the grip he had on the dark haired man's arm go.

Hawkeye was going to make another snide remark about how he didn't look so good either and that that might of something to do with his age, when the world tilted dangerously.

The ground rushed up to meet him and Hawkeye slammed against the ground, hard. A small pebble dug into his cheek but he didn't have to energy to move. Everything was spinning so fast and it was so hot. He felt his stomach lurch and twist.

The world came to an abrupt halt as Colonel Potter's face came into view.  
He felt Potter grasp his shoulders and roll him onto his back, all the while shouting for a corpsman. "How ya feelin son?" The older man asked, probably just to try and keep Hawkeye focused and awake.

"It's hot," was all Hawkeye could make out and Potter nodded, already expecting the answer.  
Shade came over his face and he cracked his eyelids to see the colonel putting himself between his face and the sun. He saw the worried face of BJ come into view and he and the corpsman lifted Hawkeye onto a stretcher.

Hawkeye was vaguely aware of the transition from the outside to the post-OP room. BJ and Potter crowded his vision as he was lowered on a cot. Then he lost the battle of consciousness.

* * *

R&R :)


	2. A Splash Of Water

BJ walked out into the heat at the sound of the chopper. He heard Radar yell to him that there was only one wounded and it wasn't serious in the least.

He let out a sigh of relief. It was too hot to operate.

BJ stretched and started towards the mess tent when he heard Colonel Potter's voice shout for a corpsman and a stretcher. Odd, he sounded too close to be yelling from the helicopter pad.  
BJ walked around a tent to see Potter kneeling down next to a prone figure. BJ instinctively rushed towards him to help.

He froze when he saw the black hair peeking out from behind the colonel's body. Fear clenched him and he started in a dead sprint towards his fallen swamp mate.

He saw Hawkeye's eyes open but they were glazed over and seem unaware of much around him. "What happened?"

Potter glanced over his shoulder for the stretcher and corpsman before replying. "Heat stroke I think. We have to get him out of the sun."

Bj nodded and grabbed the end of the stretcher that was thrust out to him. He and the younger corpsman quickly lifted his friend onto it and hoisted him.

Walking briskly to the post-OP with Potter jogging beside them, his hand resting soothingly on Hawkeye's chest.

They ran by Margaret's tent and Potter removed his hand to stop and knock on her door. BJ didn't hear what he said, he just saw Margaret and Potter running to catch up to us. I glanced behind me and pushed open the door with my back as we went in.

We laid the Hawkeye on the cot nearest the door and Margaret ran to get cold compresses. Potter helped him removed the surgeon's sweat soaked clothes, except for his boxes, and BJ grabbed a pillow off the next bunk to place under his legs.

Potter left to set up an IV of fluids and BJ jogged to the mess tent for water bottles. Bj pushed passed the line of people trying for a bottle and grabbed six. People shouted at him as he ignored them.

When BJ got back Potter was applying iodine to the place on Hawkeye's wrist for the IV. I glanced down at the still unconscious man. His cheeks were flushed, his hair was damp, and he was incredibly pale. BJ saw a few cold compressors shoved against the man's chest.

BJ poured some water over the wrist Potter wasn't working with; watching as the water cascaded down the pale skin and dripped off the talented fingers.

Once the IV was in place. He handed three bottles to Potter and they started dousing Hawkeye from head to toe. They continued this until Hawkeye opened his eyes and uttered, "Bj?"

* * *

R&R


	3. A Cold Awakening

Cold crashed over him and Hawkeye woke with a start.

The first thing he noticed was the fluorescent lights above him. He instantly recoiled from the light, shutting his eyes tightly.

The next thing he noticed was that he was lying on cool damp fabric.

And he was wet.

Curiosity overcoming discomfort, Hawkeye pried his eyes open to take in his surroundings. Empty cots lined his right and swinging doors were on his left. He was lying on a cot in post-OP.

He was also missing his clothes except for his boxers which were, like the rest of him, thoroughly soaked.

And standing above him was a breathless Colonel Potter holding a water bottle which had been filled with water that was now trickling down Pierce's body towards the the dirt floor. What little hair Potter had was in disarray: a look often acquired from running.

The moment his gaze locked with his, Potter let out a sigh of relief and the tension that constricted his shoulders visibly melted away.

"BJ?" Hawkeye croaked, Bj burst into the room, another bottle of water in hand. What was surprising was that his hair similarly disheveled as if, he too, had been running.

Bj took one look at the conscious man staring up at him quizzically and instantly composed himself. He set the water bottle down lightly on top of one of the cots and then turned his attention to Margaret who had just walked in with a thermometer.  
"Margaret, could you get a bottle of water?"

She nodded and, after glancing once more at Hawkeye with a thankful smile, hurried out of post-OP.

"BJ, Potter, what's going on?" He struggled, wincing at the strain of talking. The words physically burned his throat. He coughed. "Why am I…?"

He tried to sit up, to look at his almost naked condition, but Potter was suddenly at his side and eased him back down with a gentle but firm hand against his shoulder.

"Don't get up yet," he advised gently.

Hawkeye allowed his body to fall back to the cool mattress where the water puddled around him. It was for the best after all. The moment he had moved his head, his vision twisted and swirled, and he could have sworn that the wall and the cots had switched places with the ceiling. He closed his eyes to fend off the disorienting sight.

Wordlessly, BJ trailed his fingers over to Hawkeye's neck to check his pulse, and then to his forehead to check his temperature. He leaned back with a heavy sigh in satisfaction.

"What happened?" Hawkeye asked, his voice cracking. He opened tired eyes that fought to stay closed. "Why do my eyes hurt? Why does everything hurt?"  
"Heat exhaustion." Potter said in a way that left no room for discussion.

Hawkeye was about to fish for more answers when Margaret returned with a bottle of water that had condensation clinging to the outside.

"Alright son," Potter said slipping an arm under Hawkeye and pulling him into a sitting position.  
He took the water bottle and lifted it hesitantly to his lips.

The cold water splashed down his throat and it felt like heaven. He greedily gulped some more before a hand stopped the bottled from moving upwards.  
"Take it easy son. You don't need to shock your system more than we already have." Potter warned, nudging BJ's arm, and leaving the room with a final pat on Hawkeye's shoulder.

BJ watched as Potter disappeared before glaring at Hawkeye. "You weren't taking care of yourself. You were dehydrated."

Hawkeye went to respond; but, he walked away. Throat too sore to yell after him he just sat there. Bj came back no more than a minute later with three pillows. He took the damp one out from under his legs and threw the three pillows onto the next cot.

BJ pulled Hawkeye to his feet and set him on the dry cot just as Margaret came in with dry boxers and army issue hospital garb.  
Hawkeye pulled the blanket over him and slipped out of wet boxers and into dry ones before pulling on the white standard clothes.

Bj sat on the cot next to him in silence as he allowed Hawkeye to sip water a little at a time.

Hawkeye cleared his throat, wincing, "Permission to speak dad?"

BJ smiled at him, "Permission granted."

"What happened?"

* * *

Reviews Appreciated :)


	4. A Sigh Of Relief

BJ looked into the questioning blue eyes of his friend, "You had a heat stroke."

Hawkeye rolled his eyes and leaned heavily onto the pillows, "I guessed that."

BJ smirked, "Potter, that corpsman, and I drug your butt in here! You're lucky Potter was standing next to you when you went down. If it wasn't a doctor you could've been out there much longer."

"I know. I'll thank him when I see him again." Hawkeye smiled.

BJ did look back at him, one brow raised in feigned annoyance. His smirk, however, countered its full effect.

"Please proceed, Doctor," Hawkeye grinned.

The smirk faded and eyes darkened as BJ looked away again, this time focusing on his fingers that were resting in his lap. Hawkeye's own grin faltered as a change seemed to come over the fair headed man. His back had stiffened and he plucked at his pants a little too roughly.

"Potter came back with water and splashed you but you didn't wake up," BJ continued.  
Hawkeye frowned. BJ's tone had changed too. It was no longer as nonchalant as before. There seemed to be something weighing down the words, causing the air that surrounded them to grow heavy.

"Your temperature was too high. You weren't waking up. More water didn't help." The words were clipped and curt.

BJ had given up trying to look at his faced Hawkeye, his head lowered. "We both went to get more water."

"When I came back, you were finally awake." A pause and a swallow. "And here we are," BJ finished. The familiar joking tone was back but sounded too harsh and forced.

They sat in silence, each man deep in thought when Hawkeye's yawn broke through the silence.

"Get some sleep Hawk. Your body has been through a lot today." Hawkeye couldn't help but  
agree as he drifted off into the land of sleep.

BJ sat beside him and ran finger through his hair. He couldn't be scared when they had brought Hawk in. He needed to be a doctor first and a friend second; but that didn't mean he wasn't terrified.

He didn't know what he would do if Hawkeye hadn't made it. I knew he would deep down, but he panicked.

BJ glanced at the sleeping man once more before laying in the cot next to him and joining his friend in sleep.

* * *

Fin. R&R


End file.
